Book mark



Sept. 13, 1955 R. B. KINGMAN 2,717,572

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United States Patent O BOOK MARK Russell B. Kingman, Orange, N. J.

Application August .3, 1953, Serial No. 371,888

4 Claims. (Cl. 116-119) This invention relates to improvements in :book marks and like place marking or indicating devices.

The invention has v'foranobject to provide a novel book mark device which `is removably -applicable to a free side marginal portion of a book page, at any selected -point along the 'length thereof, whereby to locate at a glance the paragraph, line or other particular point in the reading matter of said page at which reading thereof is to be resumed lafter interruption.

The invention has for a further object to provide a book mark device produced from'relatively stitf but pliable sheet material, such as paper, leather, metal, sheet plastic material or the like; the same comprising a flat body of suitable peripheral shape, preferably reectangular, in which is formed an indicator tongue of desired peripheral shape, such as of generally arrow head shape, the base of which integrally joins the body adjacent an outer end marginal portion of the latter; said indicator tongue being dened by a surrounding slot conforming to the peripheral shape thereof, the arms of said slot respectively terminating at internal stop edge portions of substantial length with which the body is provided to extend parallel to the outer end of the latter, with the outer or body edges of the slot arms cut away to provide preferably rounded shoulders convering upon said stop edge portions, and defining, with the latter, clearance openings, respectively adjacent opposite sides of the indicator tongue base, through which a side marginal portion of a book page, to which the book mark is applied, can pass between the body and the indicator tongue without risk of mutilating, indenting or otherwise defacing said book page, and so as to engage a substantial length of the paper edge in abutment against the relatively long stop edge portions, whereby to further avoid tearing, indenting or deforming of said paper edge.

The invention has for another object to so shape the indicator tongue and the surrounding slot by which it is dened that a gentle sliding action of the book mark onto a book page is assured without undue friction or risk of exercising any shearing or slicing action upon the book page material.

Another object of the invention is to so locate the base of the indicating tongue relative to the outer end of the book mark body that, when the book mark is operatively applied to a book page, but a very small portion or area of the body protrudes exteriorly from the page edge, whereby risk of accidental inward thrust of the body against the page edge, with consequent risk of injury to the latter, is substantially eliminated, and so that the protruding outer end of the body will be hooded by marginal portions of the book cover which ordinarily project outwardly beyond the area of the book pages.

The above and other objects will be understood from a reading of the following detailed description of this invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary face view of an open book, to a edge.

Patented Sept. 1-3, v12755 lpCe page of which the 'book mark of this invention vis operatively applied.

Fig. 2 is a face view of the bookmark; and Fig. 3 `is ya central 'longitudinal sectional view therethrough.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above ldescribed views, Ato indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the reference -character 10 indicates the body of the book mark, which is produced from a selected relatively stiff or pliable sheet material, such las paper, leather, metal, sheet plastic material -or the like. The body is preferably of rectangular peripheral shape, but in any event the outer end thereof `should be square so as to lie parallel to the side edge of ra book page to which the book mark is applied in use.

'Struck from the body 10, by suitable dies or Aotherwise suitably formed as an integral part ofthe body, fis 5an Aindi- -cating tongue 11, the base of which lies parallel to -the outerfendo'f the body in an inwardly spaced relation to its Said lindicating tongue 11 fis preferably `of la generally larrowhead shape, having convergent free end edges 12, and lstraight inwardly inclined opposite side ledges "13 -disposed -at a shallow angle approximating 10 'relative Lto the longitudinal -axis of the body. The indicating tongue thus formed is surrounded by a slot 14 of appreciable width, whereby the edges of the indicating tongue are spaced somewhat way from the slot defining edges 15 of the body 10. By reason of such appreciable spacing of the indicating tongue side edges 13 relative to the body slot defining edges 15, taken together with the shallow angular inclination of these edges, when a book page is inserted between the body and the indicating tongue, the separated edges 13 and 15 allow gentle sliding movement of the book mark relative to the book page to which it is applied with a minimum of frictional resistance, and without risk of exercising any shearing or slicing action upon the book page material.

Extending from opposite sides of the base of the indicating tongue 11, parallel to the outer end edge of the body lil, said body is provided with straight stop edge portions 16 of substantial length, which, when the book mark is applied to a book page, will abut or stop against the edge of said page, in such manner as to engage a substantial length of the page edge, thus avoiding likelihood of tearing, indenting or otherwise deforming said page edge.

As the edges 15 of the body 1i), which dene the slot 14 surrounding the indicating tongue 11, approach conjunction with said stop edge portions 16, the same are curvilinearly diverged to provide rounded shoulders 18 which are outwardly spaced from the junctures of the side edges 13 of the indicating tongue 11 and said stop edge portions 16, thus providing a clearance space 19 of considerable area through which outer marginal edge portions of a book page can bend to pass from the under face of the indicating tongue 11 to and over the upper face of the body 1t). Such rounded shoulders 18 avoid sharp corners, edges or points which, in contact with the book page material, might crimp or otherwise deface said material.

The spacing of the base of the indicating tongue 1l, and the internal stop edge portions 16 extending therefrom, relative to the outer end edge of the body 10 is so dimensioned as to leave but a small portion or area of the body 10 in free projection from the outer edge of a book page to which the book mark is operatively applied. This spacing is preferably in the order of about 1/16 of an inch to 5732 of an inch, thus assuring a protrusion of the body 10, outwards from the book page edge to which the book mark is applied, so limited that risk of accidental inward thrust of the book mark against the book page edge will be substantially avoided, and the book mark will be fended from such inward thrusts by 3 the hooding of its protruding outer end by the projecting marginal portions of the book cover which ordinarily protrude outwardly beyond the area of the book pages.

It will be obvious that the book mark of this invention is well adapted to be removably applied to a free side marginal portion of a book page, at any selected point along the length of the latter, so that its indicating tongue 11 may be directed toward any paragraph, line or other point in the reading matter of the book page, whereby to indicate, at a glance, the particular point in the reading matter of said page at which reading thereof is to be resumed after interruption.

Having now described my invention, l now claim:

1. A book mark comprising a rectangular body of pliable sheet material having a longitudinal indicating tongue, the base of which is integrally connected with the body closely adjacent to the outer end thereof, said indicating tongue being separated from said body by a surrounding slot of appreciable width, said body having internal straight stop edge portions of substantial length extending from opposite sides of the indicating tongue base parallel to the outer end of the body, and the body edges of said slot, as they approach conjunction with said straight stop edge portions, being curvilinearly diverged to provide rounded shoulders outwardly spaced from and f opposed to the junctures of the indicating tongue side edges of said slot and said stop edge portions, thus providing intermediate clearance spaces of considerable area through which marginal edge portions of a book page or the like, to which the book mark is applied in use in stopped abutment against said straight edge portions, can bend to pass from beneath the indicating tongue over the body without risk of defacement.

2. A book mark according to claim l, wherein said indicating tongue is of substantially arrowhead shape having side edges convergent towards its base and disposed at a shallow angle approximating 10 relative to its longitudinal axis.

3. A book mark according to claim 1, wherein the internal straight stop edge portions which are parallel to the outer end of the body are spaced from the latter at a distance approximating JAG to BX@ of an inch.

4. A book mark according to claim 3, wherein said indicating tongue is of substantially arrowhead shape having side edges convergent toward its base and disposed at a shallow angle approximating 10 relative to its longitudinal axis.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,878,861 Krasnow Sept. 20, 1932 2,609,629 Hubbard Sept. 9, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,885 Great Britain Oct. 23, 1893 

